LiDAR Scanning
for real-world decisions.
LiDAR is the measurement underneath every 3D scan — terrestrial, mobile, or airborne, matched to the tolerance the project needs.
From site conditions
to a confident next step.
LiDAR measures range directly with a laser rather than inferring it from photographs, which is why it does not care about texture, shadow, or ambient light. That makes a LiDAR scanner the default instrument for interiors, plant environments, and anything where a photogrammetric solution would struggle with featureless or reflective surfaces.
Not all LiDAR is the same, and the differences matter more than the brand on the tripod. A terrestrial laser scanner delivers the density and repeatability engineering work depends on. A mobile LiDAR system worn or pushed through a building trades that precision for speed, producing centimetre-band coverage of a whole campus in a fraction of the time. UAV LiDAR sits outdoors, seeing ground through vegetation along corridors and across large sites.
We scope which one — or which combination — against the decision the data supports, then register everything into a single coordinate system so the datasets agree with each other. The accuracy claim always ships with a report: control used, residuals, and the areas we could not see.
- Terrestrial LiDAR for millimetre-class work
- Mobile SLAM mapping for whole-building coverage
- UAV LiDAR for corridors and vegetated sites
- One control network across all three
- Registered LiDAR point cloud
- E57 / LAS / LAZ / RCP
- Coverage and accuracy report
- Derived CAD or BIM
Also called
Different teams ask for this work under different names. These all land on the same scope conversation.
Where the LiDAR work happens
Terrestrial, mobile, and airborne capture get chosen against the tolerance the deliverable actually needs, not against whatever instrument is closest to the door.
In New York that covers LiDAR capture in Colonie, terrestrial LiDAR in Greece, mobile LiDAR along corridors in Greenburgh, and tolerance-matched LiDAR in Hamburg. New Jersey coverage includes terrestrial LiDAR in Old Bridge, mobile LiDAR along corridors in Parsippany-Troy Hills, tolerance-matched LiDAR in Passaic, and LiDAR capture in Paterson. On the Connecticut side it takes in mobile LiDAR along corridors in East Hartford, tolerance-matched LiDAR in Fairfield, LiDAR capture in Greenwich, and terrestrial LiDAR in Groton.
LiDAR Scanning questions
What is LiDAR and how is it different from photogrammetry?
LiDAR measures range directly with a laser, which is what makes it the core measurement technology behind most building- and site-scale 3D scanning — it does not depend on texture or ambient light the way photogrammetry does, so it works equally well on a blank concrete wall or a fully lit façade. Photogrammetry derives geometry from overlapping photographs instead, which is excellent on textured, well-lit surfaces but struggles with featureless or reflective material.
Terrestrial, mobile, or airborne LiDAR — which do we need?
Terrestrial (tripod) LiDAR gives the density and repeatability that engineering-grade as-built work depends on, and is the right choice when tolerance matters. Mobile (wearable, SLAM-based) LiDAR trades some precision for speed and suits whole-building or campus coverage. Airborne LiDAR from a drone suits corridors, vegetated sites, and large outdoor areas where you need ground data under cover. We scope which one, or which combination, against the decision the data supports.
How accurate is LiDAR scanning?
Terrestrial LiDAR field accuracy typically runs ±2–6 mm depending on range, incidence angle, surface, control, and registration quality. Mobile mapping systems sit in the centimetre band rather than the millimetre band, which is why we scope them for coverage, layout, and asset location rather than fabrication-grade tolerance.
What surfaces are difficult for LiDAR to capture well?
Dark, glossy, mirrored, and transparent surfaces return poor or misleading data with any optical or laser-based instrument, glass in particular. We plan around known problem surfaces during scoping and flag any resulting gaps in the coverage note of the QA report rather than letting them pass unnoticed.
What do we receive from a LiDAR scanning project?
A registered point cloud in E57, LAS/LAZ, or RCS/RCP, accompanied by a registration and QA report. From there, 2D drawings, a BIM model, or other derived deliverables can be produced depending on what the project actually needs.
Make the invisible
measurable.
Tell us what is inside, outside, and on the line. We will help you scope the capture and the handoff — in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut.
Talk to a scanner